The NBA: Five Reasons for New York’s Great Start

With a 77.8%
victory rate, and after handing the Miami Heat their first home defeat of the
season, the New York Knicks are the undisputed top team outside of the Western
Conference. Not bad for a team that went 36-30 last season and was bounced by generally
the same Heat team in the first round of the Playoffs.

So how are
they doing it? How are they surviving, nay thriving, without Amar’e Stoudemire?
How are they holding it together despite letting go of Linsanity?

Here’s my
take on five important factors driving the Knicks’ surprisingly strong start:

1) Shooting: The Knicks are tops in the
league in threes made, top 3 in three-point percentage, top 7 in field goals
made, and top 9 in field goal percentage. All of those numbers are improvements
from NYK’s shooting in ’11-’12, and the results are undeniable. These Knicks
are more potent this season, and when they are allowed to get hot, they’re
practically unbeatable – coach Mike Woodson’s wards are 8-1 when they score at
least 104 points.

2) Backcourt: With the aging (or aged?)
Jason Kidd teaming up with the erratic JR Smith and the boom-bust Raymond
Felton, it would be fair to say that the Knicks SHOULD NOT have one of the
league’s top backcourts. There are, after all, many other teams with bigger
stars at both guard spots – Miami has Dwyane Wade and Ray Allen, the Celtics
have Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce, and Brooklyn has Deron Williams and Joe
Johsnon. What the New York backcourt lacks in star power, however, they make up
for in sheer production. Kidd, Smith, and Felton combine for about 38 points,
12 assists, 11 rebounds, and 5 steals while shooting 43% from beyond the arc.
Those stats help make this combo the third-best backcourt in the league, just
behind the Clippers and the Thunder.

Raymond Felton has been playing really wellas the Knicks' starting point guard.(image by Greg Shamus/Getty Images)

3) Balance: It’s not just New York’s
backcourt that’s been clicking. The Amar’e-less frontline has been surprisingly
effective, too. Carmelo Anthony has moonlighted as an undersized 4, while Tyson
Chandler has been the immovable anchor. Steve Novak and the resurgent Rasheed
Wallace have also been reasonably solid reserves up front for the Knicks. The
balance does not stop with their roster, though, as the Knicks have been
playing great two-way ball as well. They have the fourth-best offense in the
league and the eighth-best defense. The days of D’Antoni’s run-and-gun,
offense-is-the-best-defense philosophy are definitely long gone now.

4) Melo: Of course, one cannot talk
about the Knicks’ success without mentioning the all-around effort being given
by Carmelo Anthony on a game-by-game basis. Melo has upped his scoring,
rebounding, and field goal shooting from last season, but the biggest
improvement by far has been his three-point accuracy. The former Syracuse
Orangeman has never shot close to 40% from beyond the arc in his career, but
this season he’s hitting nearly 44% of his trey attempts. If he keeps this up,
he might even be in the conversations for both the Most Valuable and Most
Improved Player awards.

5) Chandler: Despite Melo’s staggering
production, the biggest factor for the Knicks’ rise in the season’s first month
has been the perennially undervalued Tyson Chandler. Here’s the thing with the
prep-to-pro big man – he doesn’t put up eye-popping stats that other slotmen like
Dwight Howard and the Gasol brothers are wont to do, but he’s one of the most
efficient out there. Chandler’s aggregate numbers might seem pedestrian when
set alongside those of Dwight, Gasol (Marc not Pau), or even the extremely
shocking Anderson Varejao (his blocks have, in fact gone down dramatically), but
his nearly 13 points (a career-high), more than 9 rebounds, and, get this,
71.2% FG shooting are enough to make NYK superbly sublime in the paint. He’s
the classic example of someone who doesn’t do many things, but the few things he
does, he does extremely well.

The Knicks celebrate after they beat the Heat in Florida.(image by Alan Diaz/AP)

Game
Recaps (courtesy of the Sports Network):

Denver 92, Indiana 89

JaVale McGee and Corey Brewer totaled 20 points each,
as the Denver Nuggets used a late surge to best the Indiana Pacers, 92-89, on
Friday. Andre Miller, who dished out eight assists, scored eight of his 15
points in the final quarter for the Nuggets, who have won two of their last
three after dropping three in a row. Paul George ended with a game-high 22
points for the Pacers, who suffered their second loss in the last six outings
despite having all of their starters score in double digits. David West added
18 points and a game-best 11 rebounds, and George Hill totaled 15 and 10
assists in defeat.

Philadelphia 95, Boston 94
(OT)

Evan Turner scored 26 points and hit the go-ahead
basket with 3.9 seconds left in overtime to lift the Philadelphia 76ers to a
95-94 win over the Boston Celtics in an Atlantic Division matchup from the
Wells Fargo Center. Turner added 10 rebounds and Thaddeus Young compiled 17
points and 12 boards to help the 76ers halt a two-game losing streak and take
the opener of a home- and-home series between the longtime rivals. Jrue Holiday
contributed 15 points to the hard-fought victory. Boston suffered its second
defeat in its last three outings despite a triple- double from Rajon Rondo and
a game-high 27 points out of Paul Pierce. The Celtics also received 19 points
off the bench from Jeff Green and a 17-point, 10-rebound effort from Kevin
Garnett. Rondo finished with 16 points, 14 assists and 13 rebounds.

Atlanta 104, Washington 95

Josh Smith poured in a game-high 23 points and grabbed
15 rebounds to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 104-95 win over the Washington
Wizards on Friday. Jeff Teague had 19 points and six assists while Al Horford
added 14 points and 14 boards for the Hawks, who have won eight of their last
nine. DeShawn Stevenson had 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting from 3-point range.
Kevin Seraphin dropped in a team-best 19 points and Bradley Beal netted 18 for
the Wizards, who fell to an NBA-worst 2-14 this season. Jordan Crawford and
Nene added 14 and 12 points, respectively, in the setback.

Golden State 109, Brooklyn
102

David Lee scored 13 of his 30 points in the fourth
quarter, and the Golden State Warriors shut down the Brooklyn Nets in the
second half to come away with a 109-102 victory at Barclays Center. Lee also
pulled down 15 rebounds -- seven on the offensive glass -- while Stephen Curry
netted 28 points for the Warriors, who have won the first two tests on their
seven-game road trip and five of six overall. Joe Johnson finished with 32
points to lead New Jersey, with Andray Blatche chipping in 22 points and 15
rebounds. Deron Williams added 23 points and eight assists in the Nets' third
straight setback.

Chicago 108, Detroit 104

Joakim Noah posted a game-high 30 points and 23
rebounds while adding six assists as the Chicago Bulls downed the Detroit
Pistons, 108-104. Carlos Boozer gave 24 points and six rebounds while Luol Deng
and Marco Belinelli each added 16 points for the Bulls, who have won 16
straight games over the Pistons and haven't lost to the team in close to four
years. Rodney Stuckey had 24 points and seven assists, while Brandon Knight
gave 21 points for the Pistons, who have lost four of their past five games.

Minnesota 91, Cleveland 73

Kevin Love poured in 36 points and added 13 rebounds
as the Minnesota Timberwolves earned a 91-73 victory over the Cleveland
Cavaliers at Target Center. Like Ridnour totaled 12 points and seven assists,
with Jose Juan Barea added 10 points off the bench for the Timberwolves, who
have won four of their last six. Alonzo Gee posted 16 points and C.J. Miles
contributed 13 for the Cavaliers, who skidded to their ninth straight defeat.

Memphis 96, New Orleans 89

Rudy Gay matched a season-best with 28 points and the
Memphis Grizzlies held off the New Orleans Hornets down the stretch to record a
96-89 road victory on Friday. Gay shot 10-of-18 from the field, while Quincy
Pondexter made all six of his shot attempts -- four of which came from 3-point
range -- in a 16-point effort as the Grizzlies posted their sixth win in seven
games and improved their NBA- best season record to 14-3. Zach Randolph added
15 points for Memphis, which led from the first quarter on and were ahead by as
many as 14 points in the second half before the Hornets put forth an
unsuccessful comeback try. Austin Rivers had a career-high 15 points and Ryan
Anderson and Brian Roberts also netted 15 for the Hornets, who finished off a
5-game homestand at 1-4.

Milwaukee 108, Charlotte 93

Ersan Ilyasova had 21 points and 12 rebounds to lead
the Milwaukee Bucks to a 108-93 win over the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday.
Marquis Daniels added 18 points, while Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis dropped
in 15 and 13 points, respectively, for the Bucks, who snapped a two- game skid.
Gerald Henderson had 19 points and Kemba Walker added 16 points and six assists
for the Bobcats, losers of six straight. Michael Kidd- Gilchrist had 11 points
and 11 rebounds in the setback.

San Antonio 114, Houston 92

Tony Parker led six Spurs in double figures with 17
points while also dishing out seven assists as San Antonio routed the Houston
Rockets, 114-92, on Friday. Tim Duncan, Gary Neal, Manu Ginobili and Patty
Mills added 12 points apiece, with Duncan also contributing 12 rebounds in San
Antonio's third straight win and its eighth victory in nine games. Tiago
Splitter rounded out the Spurs' double-digit scorers with 15 points. James
Harden scored 29 points to pace the Rockets, who have dropped their last six
road games.

Utah 131, Toronto 99

Paul Millsap led eight players in double-figures with
20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists as the Utah Jazz posted a 131-99 rout
of the Toronto Raptors. Enes Kanter gave 18 points and eight rebounds, Gordon
Hayward added 17 points while Marvin Williams had 14 points for the Jazz, who
have won their past two games after a three-game losing streak. Randy Foye
scored 13 points, Mo Williams posted 11 points and 10 assists while DeMarre
Carroll and Jeremy Evans gave 11 and 10 points, respectively. Andrea Bargnani
had 20 points and eight rebounds for the Raptors, who have dropped three
straight and nine of their last 10 games. DeMar DeRozan scored 17 points and
pulled down five rebounds.

Oklahoma City 114, LA Lakers
108

The Los Angeles Lakers simply couldn't keep up with
Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and the rest of the Oklahoma City Thunder. The
Thunder's dynamic duo combined for 69 points en route to a 114-108 victory more
one-sided than the final score indicated. Westbrook scored 27 of his 33 points
in a first half that saw him drain a career- high five 3-pointers. Westbrook
also handed out eight assists, while Durant totaled 36 points and nine rebounds
in Oklahoma City's seventh straight win. Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard kept the
Lakers somewhat competitive. Bryant finished with 35 points on 11-of-24
shooting, while Howard added 23 points and 18 rebounds in the loss, LA's sixth
in nine games.

Sacramento 91, Orlando 82

DeMarcus Cousins posted 17 points and 14 rebounds to
lead the Sacramento Kings past the Orlando Magic, 91-82, on Friday. Isaiah
Thomas also dropped in 17 points, while Jimmer Fredette scored 15, Jason
Thompson poured in 12 and Aaron Brooks contributed 11 for the Kings, who won
consecutive games for the first time since Nov. 5-7. Glen Davis paced the Magic
with 20 points and 11 rebounds in Orlando's second straight loss. Arron Afflalo
netted 18 points, Jameer Nelson had 17 and Andrew Nicholson finished with 14 in
defeat.